Over the last few years, I had a few of my friends tell me their landlords would not let them paint their walls. It seems like it is especially true in big cities like Montreal or Boston. When I first heard about that, I thought that this was the most horrible rule possibly made on earth. I love bright colors, and I could not imagine myself being happy in an all-white apartment. All I could think of was me being depressed in my white apartment in the dead of winter. But lately, I have been browsing the home decor category on Pinterest and I found myself surprisingly inspired by all-white apartments. Maybe it's me getting older and wanting to purify my lifestyle in general. I realized that it IS possible to be happy in a winter white apartment by following a few simple rules. By looking at hundreds of pictures, I created my own theory for the successful decoration of a white apartment. (Please don't follow all the rules at once. Choose with parcimony).
1- Make it look like it was planned. Like raising an "accidental" child (you don't want to make him think he wasn't wanted), you need to make your apartment look like it is how you have always imagined it. Clean or repaint the walls white again if the paint does not look fresh and choose your props accordingly. One way to make it look planned is to choose white furniture to match your walls.
(jurnaldesigninterior.com)
2- Play it like it's 1953. The first color television show was broadcast in 1954. Why not make it completely black and white so it seems like you're stuck in Pleasantville. The black and white trend of last spring is not ready to leave and is expanding from the wardrobe to the whole home.
(found on pinterest)
3- Café-crème. You're a big Starbucks fan? You can now make your home look like a coffee, by adding chocolate accents in your cream white home. Coziness guaranteed. (I'm already picturing myself grabbing a book from that bookshelf and reading it on that comfy chocolate leather couch sipping on a latté bowl).
(thefancy.com)
4- Colorful prints. Not sure a bi-chromatic look is enough to cheer you up every day? Add colorful prints everywhere. Think of your apartment as a blank canvas and go wild. My advice would be to stay within on category of colors: bold, pastel or dark. Not all at once. (Love the bright vintage French prints. And I already own that dotted cushion, eek! Only 53 other things to buy to achieve that look!)
(myscandinavianhome.blogspot.fr)
5- (White) Wine & Blue: Nautical-inspired decor is a classic that never goes out of style. Matching navy and white will never go wrong and there are so many options for prints: stripes (love of my life), chevrons, Aztec prints, dots... Dive in bed and float on...
(minted.com)
6- Vintage style forever: This is my own personal taste, but I've always been in love with older apartments and vintage prints. This may not suit people with more modern tastes but I think elements from another era complement well wooden floors and wall cracks. Vintage frames and prints makes the whole "old apartment" thing look more legit.
(witanddelight.com)
My favorite accessories for a white flat are:
Colorful printed cushions:
(elce stockholm)
Ethnic carpets
(esalerugs.com)
Rough, natural wooden furniture. It goes so well with white walls and makes everything look pure and natural.
(archilovers.com)
So what do you think? Could you stand not painting your walls in a single room of your place?
